Last Flight of the Fowl
by SilasWhitfield
Summary: A nuclear conflict rages out of control and Artemis is trapped on the surface, trying to save his parents. Holly races against time to pluck the young genius from the jaws of death.


Holly woke to the sound of distant alarms. She swung her legs out of bed and reached blearily for her civilian clothes. The lights were all red, it was a lockdown. The street outside was packed with confused pedestrians, milling around their stalled vehicles. A police cruiser screeched around the bend and stopped in front of her. Trouble Kelp waved from the passenger side door.

"Holly, there you are, get in!"

The second Holly closed the door the car raced off again. Kelp twisted around in his seat.

"It finally happened."

"What happened?"

"The mud people went to war."

**LEP command center**

Foaly was really in his element. The LEP command center was newly renovated, and the new liquid crystal displays now at his command would have made him do a little jig if it were not for the absolute and grave seriousness of the information being displayed on them. Everyone was here. The Council, Commander Kelp, Holly, various LEP advisors, N01 and his mentor, and for reasons that no one could fathom, the new head of LEP Internal Affairs. The congregation all sat stock still and silent, listening to the live audio feed of the human air defense radar in White Sands.

"Copy that Seeker. Be advised Mother Bird, several stones in the pond now, I'd say about 1300 or more, see if you can get a closer look."

"Roger that, Mother Bird, changing course."

"Seeker two, Seeker two, this is Outback one one, we have missiles in the air over Poland, looks like they're headed for the eastern seaboard. Official report is 1350 at this time, confidence is high, I say again, confidence is high."

Foaly pressed a button on his remote control and the audio ceased. The screens merged and displayed a live map of the earth. A swarm of small red triangles inched slowly over eastern Europe and the pacific ocean towards the Americas. The technician hung his head.

"Well, the day we dreaded finally came. This is it gentlemen. Some time last night the Russians launched most of their land based nuclear arsenal. The Americans are expected to respond, as are the Chinese, British, Indians, Pakistanis, Israelis, French, and North Koreans."

There was a moment of stunned silence before Trouble raised a solitary hand.

"What are the casualty estimates?"

"The fairy folk should do just fine, in fact, we might get away unscathed. We're completely self sufficient, and we have stockpiles of oak trees growing underground. The rest can be synthesized."

This time Holly spoke up

"What about the humans?"

Foaly bit his lower lip

"In the high billions. A good portion will die instantly, the unlucky ones will linger on for months or years before the after effects get them."

Another stunned silence echoed through the room, the only sound being the low hum of the computers. Holly gazed sadly at the red trails arching their way incrementally across the globe. Kelp stood up after a few moments.

"Well. first things first. The public needs to be alerted, and the LEP needs to be given emergency powers. Councilmen?"

The head of council nodded his aged head

"You have everything you need Commander, you are in charge for the time being."

**Fowl Manor**

Butler bustled past with another armload of priceless family heirlooms. The vault had been a spur of the moment purchase for Artemis, he'd had it installed as a safety precaution. But all the doors in the world could not help if there was nobody to shut them. His parents weren't answering their phone. Artemis dialed the number a fifth time, and got nothing but a taunting recording of his mothers voice, asking him to leave a message and get back to her later. Butler put a hand on his shoulder.

"Artemis, the twins are in the shelter, and that was the last box of furniture. We need to get in there too."

The fifteen year old genius put his head in his hands.

"Just one more hour Butler, please, just one more hour. They'll pick up eventually."

Butler nodded and left Artemis to his own devices. He didn't need to remind his charge that even if his parents did pick up, there was no way they could go to Japan and back in a few hours.

"They have to pick up..."

The bodyguard did one last check of the house. The walls had been stripped down, all the priceless family heirlooms stuffed into storage underground. There was only one other time when Butler had seen the house this way, and that was when he had first been "hired". On that occasion, Artemis's mother had been pregnant with him and they had been doing sweeping renovations in preparation for his arrival, his father reluctantly putting away his more dangerous experiments, and his mother furnishing a lavish baby's room. He would miss them. He lingered by the window that overlooked the fields. In the distance he could hear a faint roaring noise. Butler blinked.

What?

Then the realization hit him. Artemis was going to attempt the impossible. Butler dashed to the main hallway and out the massive front doors just in time to see the Fowl family Learjet scream into the sky at full power. He stared at it until it turned into a distant speck and disappeared. There was nothing he could do. With a heavy heart, he turned back to the house.

**Marion County Grade School**

The president waved to the children as they swarmed around him, excited to be even close to the man they had seen so much on TV. His schedule allowed him fifteen minutes before he had to go up on stage and give some mundane speech about trying hard in school. Naturally, he wasn't paying the slightest attention to the kids. In a doorway down the hall a gathering of black suits were in heated debate.

"It's about damn time we made a decision, this school will be evacuated any second! The president needs to get the hell out of here and on a plane to Washington RIGHT NOW!"

"Where's the first place they're going to hit Mike? DC! We need to get him to Fort Benning, or Anderson, either way, we need to break out the football. Times-a-wasting."

The suits nodded, and a young man broke from the group and approached him. The president stopped and stared at him. They both knew what came next. This man had undergone the most stringent background check the United States government had, White Yankee. Handcuffed to his wrist was a black, Halliburton double-wide executive briefcase, colloquially known as the "The Football". Inside were booklets containing strategy options in the even of nuclear war, known as "The Playbook". The man reached him and stood at attention.

"Mr. President, you need to accompany me sir."

The president sighed and reached into his coat pocket for the codes to the silos, changed daily.

"I suppose I do."

**Outer Haven, Shaft Ireland-116**

Holly escorted the last of the frightened civilians to into the shuttle and closed the doors. The craft moved away from the dock and shot down into the dark recesses of the shaft. The LEP Recon officer stuck her hands in her pockets and trudged away from the chasm. The pavement was littered with dropped luggage and travel brochures. Commander Kelp sat on a bench by the ticket office, talking into a satellite phone.

"Alright. Okay. You do that. Nobody gets left behind alright? Good, I'll see you in a few hours."

Holly sat down next to the commander and crossed her arms.

"Sir?"

Kelp looked up from the phone

"Yes Holly?"

"When will it be safe to go topside?"

The commander paused, and then set the boxy receiver down.

"Look, Holly... Artemis is a smart kid. He'll find a way to survive."

Holly nodded. Was she that easy to read?

"I hope he does."

**LEP Command Center**

The strategic map was now a mess of red dots, coating the world like an angry mob of bees. Foaly gripped the edge of the table nervously. What else was there to do at a time like this?

"Thirty seconds."

One of the leading red dots that had been hovering sullenly over New York winked out.

"First contact."

Foaly winced. Tens of thousands, dead.

In silence, the room watched the rest of the missiles impact. It only took twenty minutes. Foaly extended a shaking finger and switched to SCOPES. The earth was dotted with pinpricks of orange light. It was almost beautiful. Almost.

**Airspace somewhere over Siberia**

Artemis drummed his fingers on top of the throttle stick. They were shaking gently with excess adrenaline. There were so many variables, so many unknowns. he had plotted a slightly curving course away from mainland Europe and China. If nukes were going off, they were going to be the first hit. He checked his watch for the sixth time that hour and continued to stare out the window.

In a single instant, the entire cockpit went black. It took him a few fractions of second to register this, because the electromagnetic pulse had taken all of the usual alarms with it. Instead, all he could hear was the sound of the engines winding down. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as the air crackled with an unseen energy. EMP. He swore in all the elvish he knew and grabbed a hold of the stick. It was no use, the controls were all electronic too. Panic began to gnaw at him. He had overplayed his hand this time. Now the great Artemis Fowl was going to die in the middle of the Russian tundra and no one would ever hear about it. The plane banked down into a shallow dive and the young mastermind strapped himself in.

**Fowl Manor**

Holly flexed her arms and legs one last time and stepped off the shuttle landing ramp onto the scorched lawn. Her movement was awkward with the Lower Elements Hazardous Environment Suit Mark VI on, but what she saw when she looked around made her glad they had given it to her. The Fowl Manor was in bad shape. A smaller blast had gone off nearby, and the concussion had blown the upper floors into rubble. The walls that surrounded the grounds had collapsed almost entirely and the grass lay down flat and eerily smooth.

With some trepidation she advanced up the stone steps to the front door and pushed. The massive oak slab tipped over and toppled to the floor, making little currents of dust swirl in the silent air. Holly turned on her flashlight and began searching room-to-room.

"Hello? Artemis? Butler? Is anybody home?"

Silence. She sighed deeply and turned to leave when something caught her eye. Amidst the destruction she could see that there was a metal hatch, set behind where the fireplace had once been. She approached and knocked twice. After a long pause, someone else knocked on the other side. There was a sound of squealing metal and the hatch opened outward. Butler's face stared back at her from the secret room. He looked tired.

"Holly? Why are you here, is it safe to come out yet?"

"Yeah, we have transport waiting outside. Go get Artemis and we'll take you to Haven."

Butler grimaced

"Uh, Artemis left."

"What?"

The bodyguard nodded solemnly

"His parents are in Japan, he took the Learjet before I could stop him."

The color drained from her face

"Oh no..."

"I don't know where he is now. Or if he's still alive."

Holly clenched her fists. She did not come all this way just to lose him now.

"He's alive, I know it. We just have to find him."

**Siberian Wilderness, Fifty Miles NW of Vladivostok**

Holly checked the screen again. The red blip of Artemis's transponder flashed closer and closer.

"Alright, this is close enough, put me down here!"

The pilot gave her a thumbs up and throttled down the engines. As soon as the ramp hit the frozen tundra Holly pounded down it. There was a light snow falling, little powdery flakes drifting down gently from the sky to melt on her shoulder. Even through the suit she could feel the biting cold. She reached into a pack and pulled out a portable tracking device. The red arrow pointed to the low hill on her left and she began to trudge up it. She climbed to the top and saw the plane. It had skidded on the snow bank and come to rest in pieces. The wings had sheared off and continued on, cutting swathes of snow with them and gouging into the frozen ground. The body of the plane was crushed, but intact, resting on it's side like a can of beans. Holly ran down the slope and climbed up to the cockpit.

Artemis lay inside on his back, sprawled across the instrument panel, his right hand still clutching the throttle. He had hit his head hard, a nasty gash that started just above his right eye was still bleeding, and it steamed in the cold air. His cheeks were covered in superficial scratches from where the windshield had shattered and flew back into his face

Holly gasped and jumped down into the open cockpit. She gently brushed the snow from his cheek and felt his temperature. He was almost as cold as the surrounding environment, but she could feel a pulse, beating faintly. Holly wrapped him in a hug and held him tight, partly because he desperately needed heat, and partly because she was so glad he was alive it was the only thing she could think to do.

"I'm never going to let you out of my sight again..." She whispered softly

She felt his finger twitch and jumped a little. His eyes flickered open, but he was having trouble keeping them propped up. Holly grabbed his hands and tried to rub back some more circulation. It was incredible that he was even conscious.

"I, I must- be dead..." He whispered faintly

"Not yet Arty, just hang in there, we're going to take you somewhere safe."

Slowly, his eyes focused on her face.

"You-you're an angel- aren't you?" His voice came out in a dry rasp

A thin trickle of blood dripped out of his nose and he went limp again. Holly pulled a thermal blanket out of her pack and draped it over him. He needed medical help, and fast.

**Haven General Hospital, Trauma Ward**

The first thing Artemis felt was something soft. He was in a bed, and the covers were drawn over him. He could hear low voices mumbling something and footsteps, but otherwise it was perfectly quiet. Without opening his eyes, he turned over and listened intently.

"How long has she been in there?"

"A day or so. Nearly knocked out one of our attendants when he tried to escort her out."

"Heh, that's Major Short alright. Do you want me to move her? I can make it an order."

"No, no that won't be necessary, I think we can cut her some slack, circumstances being what they are."

"True. How's the kid?"

"Long story short: He'll live. A lot of superficial stuff, but nothing we can't fix with time and a little bit of magic."

"Good to hear. Well, I'll leave you to it, I've got a lot of work to do as you can imagine."

"Always good to have you Commander Kelp."

"Goodnight Bill."

"Night."

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and, after a few moments all was silent again. Artemis finally opened his eyes. He was staring at a small hospital room which was in complete darkness except for a beam of artificial moonlight that shone through the window. Holly was sleeping in a chair in the corner near the door, her auburn hair moving gently every time she took a breath. Artemis sat up with some difficulty and immediately wished he hadn't. He was sore everywhere, and he now became aware of a cast on his right leg and bandages wrapped across his forehead and chest. He wasn't wearing anything except for a pair of dark pants that were probably issued by the hospital.

He swept his legs over the edge of the bed and gripped the bedside table with his left hand. Slowly and shakily, he got to his feet and began to walk over to the windowsill, gripping whatever he could for support. Suddenly, he slipped and almost fell headfirst onto the tiled floor. A pair of firm hands caught him at the last second.

"You shouldn't be trying to walk on that leg yet." Holly said

Artemis said nothing and with her help, he sat back down on the bed. The whole, tremendous, crushing weight of what had happened fell down on his shoulders at once. It was unbearable, intolerable. It was worse than anything, ever. He shook gently, but gritted his teeth. He wouldn't cry, he had to be strong, he had to work through this...

It was no use. The tears came, fast and hard, running down his cheeks and splashing on the bedspread. His parents were gone. Dead. Every time he thought it, it got more painful. His stomach ached. After all he had done, for both of them, for it to end this way was beyond words. Artemis could feel Holly's arm over his shoulder.

"Butler is downstairs, if you want to talk to him."

"Butler? That means the twins... God, what am I going to tell them?" He whispered

Holly did not have an answer to that.

"If you want to be alone for a while..."

Artemis nodded, and Holly got up, and exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

**Haven Hospital Courtyard**

Holly watched from the shade of the veranda as the twins played in the garden. Artemis sat on a bench, his cane in his lap, watching. Butler stood beside him, massive hands clasped behind his back.

"He should make a full physical recovery in about three weeks."

"Physical?" Holly repeated questioningly

The doctor gnome tucked the clipboard under his arm.

"At this point we don't know what his psychological profile is, or how it would affect his work."

"What work?"

"The council wants to employ him in the research and development labs as soon as he's healthy. We could use an extraordinary mind like his."

"He's not some tool for you to use as you see fit." Holly snapped

The gnome threw his hands in the air and turned to leave

"Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just passing on their words."

Holly frowned and got up from her chair. Artemis whispered something to Butler and he walked off towards the main hospital building. Holly walked forward into the fake sunlight beaming down from the ceiling tiles. Silently, she sat down on the bench next to Artemis. His head wound had healed into a thin white scar that trailed from just above his right eyebrow down to his cheek in a jagged curve.

"Hi."

"Hello."

There was silence for a moment as they both watched the twins clamber over the flower beds, an exasperated groundskeeper trying fruitlessly to catch them. Artemis's eyes seemed distant, almost as though he wasn't watching the world in front of him, but was in his own private world.

"I hear they're going to put you to work."

"It will be something to do. Take my mind off of things for the time being."

"You don't mind?"

The 15 year old shrugged.

"Couldn't hurt."

There was another long silence. The groundskeeper fairy had given up and was holding his sides in exhaustion while the twins giggled and continued to pick petals off of the rosebushes.

"Artemis, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Are you alright?"

There was a pause, and then:

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

Silence fell again.

"This isn't the end you know." Artemis said

"Huh?"

"It's not the last chapter. It's just a new beginning."

"How so?"

"Humans are a tough bunch to kill off. I bet there are groups of survivors forming new countries and civilizations as we speak."

"Maybe."

"Probably."

Artemis pointed his cane at the twins, one of which was putting a petal in his mouth.

"That's the future right there. Not me, not Butler, not any one of the experiments or gadgets we saved from the fire, them."

Holly nodded and she could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile flit across Artemis's face.

"Things might turn out alright after all." He murmured


End file.
